Air-blast spsayer or duster



March 9 1926.

A. W. WALKER AIR BLAST SPRAYER OR DUSTER Filed June l2, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 9 1926.

A. W. WALKER AIR BLAST SPRAYER OR DUSTER Filed June l2, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 gnucuffo'b @Honnef W El k er j www.

AV E TB March 9,1926. 1,576,076

A. W. WALKER AIR BLAST SPRAYER OR DUSTER Filed June 12' 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 REAL.

l 55 2,6 II I www Patented Mar. 9, i925?.

UNTED STATES AVERY W". WALKER, OF GASPORT, NEVI YORK.

AIR-BLAST SPRAYER OR DUSTER.

Application filed .Tune 12, 1822.

To a?! :riti/m if may conf/Cra.'

Be it known that l, .vunv ll'. lfanunu, a citizen of the United States, residing at tasport. in the county of Niagara and State of New York. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Blast Sprayers or Dusters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for applying germicide or fungicide in powdered form upon trees, shrubbery, growing plants and the like to effectively destroy insects and fungous growths, which are detrimental. to the'proper projagation of trees, shrubbery and plants.

The primary objects of the .invention are to provide, in animproved devicel` which is particularly adapted for dusting orchards: first, novel means for effectively and economically applying the powder; second, means for constructing the device so that the same will not corrode by the action of the germicide or fungicide thereon; third, a novel means for supplying the powder to the air blast in an even uninterrupted flow without the use of cumbersome brushes or feed chains; fourth, a novel means for constructing the air blower and the powder supplying means, whereby the powder does not pass through the fan or blower, thereby eliminating the danger of the device catching on lire, incident to the friction set `up by the powder adhering to the side and fan blades of the blower, said novel means permitting the use of insecticide and fungicide such as sulphur which have herel'obefore been considered dangerous to use with orchard clusters on account of tire; and fifth, novel means for controlling the operation of the means for supplying powder to the air blast in an even uninterrupted flo v, and means for cont-rolling the size of the opening between the hopper for the pow der and the air blast.

A stili further object of the invention is the provision of an improved orchard duster, which will be durable and efficient in use, one that will be simple and easy to manufacture, and one which can be placed upon the market at a reasonable cost.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed and illustrated in the ac- Seral No. 567,808.

companying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which drawings:

Figure l is an elevation of the improved duster, showing parts thereof in section.

Figure Q is a fragmentary top plan view of the improved duster, showing parts thereof in section and broken away to illustrate the operation of certain parts thereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the improved orchard duster with parts of the delivery tube shown in section.

Figure -i is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section through the improved orchard duster, taken on the line 1 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line 5 5 of Figure l, illustrating the novel and simple means employed for suring a constant and even supply of the dusting material to the air blast.

Figure G is a section taken through the feeding mechanism for the dusting material taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 'l.

Figure 7 is a detail verticali section taken on the line 7 7 of Figure Q, showing the control means for the powder supplying dcvice.

Figure 8 is a similar section showing the control member in its raised or inoperative position.

Figure 9 is a detail horizontal section talren on the line 9 9 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a detail plan view of the rcmovable plate carried by the upper wall of the hopper for covering the control mechanism for the said powder supplying device.

Figure ll is a detail section, taken on the line ll ll of Figure t, through the supplying device for the powder.

Figure 12 is a plan View of the blank of the gate utilized for controlling the exit of the powder from the hopper to the air blast., and

Figure 153 is a detail longitudinal sectional view through the novel nozzle carried by the delivery tube of the improved orchard cluster.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding views, the latter A generally indicates the frame of the improved orchard duster; B, the hopper for receiving the gerniicide or fungicide to be sprayed on the trees or the like; C, the blower for forcing the powder on the trees or the like; D, the

f toeeher; l. the nieans for siipoly- L `A L .L zi coisni and even oinouiitl ot powder 'l iogper i3 to the ni is D; F, the novel ii'iezins for controlling tne operation 'e powder siuiiplyingij device lll; and G, ovel ineens for controilinf.;l the exit oi' vtfic the povder troni the hopper to the said ineens D.

The t 'aine il. includes o base plate lo on which is disposed the hopper l, trie blower C. ond the other pertot the iinproved orchard cluster. This hose plete l5 con loe secured in any preferred inanner to o wheeled. carrier (not shown) for permitting' the duster to he easily drawn through an orchard between the rows ot trees thereof. rl`he wheeled carrier (not shown) niay also have -inounted thereon a prime n'iover (not shown)l for actuating the improved orchard dust-er. Eis shown, the loose plete l5 is provided with upwardly extending` brackets i6 'for holding;- the hopper B in position, sind the 'tan or blower C con also he provided with i hase i7 which can be connected in any preferred inanner to the said hase plete l5.

The hopper B can he inside ot any desired sise and capacity, and is preferably formed of metal, which will not eorrode under the action of the gerinieide or fungicide placed therein.v This hopper includes :i cylindrical hody 17 having;` its lowered end gradually tapered :is at i8. rllhe lower end ci the hopper B is left open :ind the Voll ot the hopper is provided with an inwardly extending1 annular 'flange 19 which supports i part ot the powder. supplying` ineens E. rEhe lower end ot' the hopper et one side thereof adjacent to the powder suppl-.yingy means E is provided with an outlet opening;a 20, as clearly shown in Figures i, al, and G ot the drawings.

The tu :er end of the hopper is provided with n ripid top woll 2l and a hinged cover piste QZ which perinits the easy introduction ot the insecticide or fungicide within the hopper :ind prev-its the escape ot' the powder therefrom. lt is preferred. that the rigid ivfll 2i he struck up slightly, 'n order to 'forni a` housing` 22, for the controlling ineens F for the constant supplying ineclianism l2 for the powder. il so desired, the wall 2l can he provided with an opening' 225 for exposing the said contro-l inechenisnis to permit the ready oiling ther-ooit when desired or necessary. Vihis peninef Q3 can he nornielly covered hy a reiiiovahle pitite il-i,

which. is clearly shown in Figure it) ot the drawings.

The blower C nitty he constructed ir ,toi-ined in the conventional ineni'ier, lout :is shown the saine includes the easing in which is rotatably mounted the tain E26. This casing Q5 is preferably divided longitudinally to provide the two sections 2? slid 2S,

which are provided with abutting tlanges Elf) which con he secured together in tiny preterr d manner, such is by nuts ond bolts 30. f lhe :25 is provided at al center with hearings o its for sugportintD the radially extending; llzules no. i ne lower end ot the freine hais eeuiinunieating therewith the tangentially extending outlet pipe T to which erin he bolted es et the delivery pipe This de nrv pipe Si) een he inade in the iis-ruil way and can have :i goin tion of its length nitide tici-,tibio in order to permit the easy slnnyinp` of the powder on the trees sprayed. The outer end oi" the delivery pipe is provi ded with o. novel shaped nozzle t), wl 'cri insnr tlie breaking; up oic all oi the i'iiirticles of 'the powder ond the constant even flow et the powder to the trees. As shown, the no :file includes a pair of diverginp orins sind the terniinols oi which support the inwardly extsnitling` converging legs /li-t and f lhese legs il and lo terniiiiiote in relatively close pr X- iniity to one another, and thus it con he seen that es the powder is forced troni the legs and l, the saine will con'ie into forcible Contact thus causinp' the breaking up o'" nil of the particles of the powder and insuringjf the delivery o1"A the po vder on the trei-ie` in a tine spray.

The blower C is disposed in close proximity to the hopper B and is ar ranged atthe lower end thereof. rlhe side of' the @rising 25 of the blower C opposite to the hopper B inay he provided with a regulatire auxiliary air inlet 4G. This inlet 4:6 is of substantially an iii-cuate continuintion and niay he closed or partially closed by ineens ot ay snhstuntially senil-circular cover plate il?. rllhirs cover pitite 4i? is pro- 1vided with an ear 4:8, which is inounted upon :i pivot holt Li9 ciirried by the casing` 25 of the blower C. This pivot holt has threaded thereon a snitiihle tluiinh nut 50, hy ineens of which the plate d? can be held in on adjusted position with respect to the openiiig` 116.

'lhe ineens D for coniicwtingthe hopper l" with the blower C, torins an in'iportnnt part the present invention, in View ot the, inet that by seid ineens D the powder to he sprayed or dusted upon the trees ond the like, is not hiougijht through the blower C, ond thus all possibility ot the powder adhering' to the sides ot the casing' 25 and the fan blades and the danger in 'ident to this contingency is eliminated.

. The ineens consist oit a conveyor tuhe 52, which provided with nn upwardly entending mouth i3 and @i horizontally disrelatively posed longitudinally extending` portion -l.

rlhe mouth 5i) gradually decreases in diameter tovard its lower end as clearly shown in Figure l of the drawinffs and the ei lai-red flared end thereof is lt open as can be clearly seen by referring; to this mentioned ligure of the drawinfijs. if so dced, the inf-'ans l) can be formed integral as; t" as clearly shown in the rlhe horizontally disposed porie tube 32 extends parallel with i of the blower and ortion 3T therewith as at 5.5 at a point forwardly of the fan lt can he seen that hv this coiisti-nation.y when the blower is in one ation. a blast of air will he forced through he outlet 3T and into the delivery pipe 3l). s this blast of air rushes past the opening 55, a suction r pan .al vacuum will he` formed in the means if), thus causing; the sucking' in of ary powder or air which may be in the said means D. The upper end of the said means l) is notched as at 5T for receiving;- i. portion of the lower end of the hopper B and by referring to Figure l of the drawings, it can be seen that the opening 21') formed in the hopper is disposed in the upper end ot' the said means D. As the upper end of the means l) is left open, it can be seen that air will be sucked into the said means D as well as the powder from the hopper B thus arising` an interminglinpr of the powder and air at this point.

rthe novel means E provided for insuring the even and constant supply ot powder to the means D includes a relatively argey dise tl() which tits upon the flange ll), closes the lower' open contracted end 18 of the hopper l and receives the powder upon its upper face. This dise (St) has its niarginal portion provided with spaced crown teeth (il and its axis provided with an opeuing G2 for the reception of the operating shaft G2), which forms a part of the drive mechanism therefor, lt is preferred that the axial center of the disc be provided with an inclined or conical shaped hub tlf-l in order to guide the powder toward the periphery of the dise and prevent the powder from clinging` about the operating,- shaft G3. Diposed above dise (30, in a plane parallel thereto and adjacent to the opening ill) is a dise wheel having a diameter considerably smaller than the diameter of the d )O and this dise wheel is provided at its periphery with depending' outwardly tiareffl blades (S6. These blades tio' are spaced and during the rotation of the dise til). the teeth Gl are adapted to rotate the disc wheel (3.3 by engagement with the bl de 6G. This dise wheel G5 is mounted s axial center upon a supportingr shaft or 7eelt "T, which can be carried by a hanger or bearing' l) aclret GS. This bearing bracket is secured to the wall of the hopper il directly above the openingl 20. The disc (3') is adapted to be driven in a clocl-zwise direction as is the wheel 35. and it can he seen that during' the operation of the discv o() and the dise wheel G5, that the dust or powder cominpr upon the faces of these di will he carried in a constant even llow through the opening il).

'lhe operating' and controlling mea' F for the constant supply means E for the grermicide or fungicide powder includes a drive shaft Tt), which can be mounted in suitable bcariirl Tl disposed within the con'ipartnunt or casing This shaft TO has keyed or otherwise mounted thereon a worm 7;?) which meshes with a worm wheel T?) .rotatably mounted upon the operatingY shaft 0?). The 'asino '122 can be provided with side walls Tal which conform to the configuration of the `tears T2 and T2). lf desired, the whole casing' can be made liquid Vtight so that these gears may run directly in oil. Slidably n'iounted upon the shaft 63 for rotary movement therewith is the clutch section T5. which is provided with depending teeth 'TG which are adapted to lit within openings 77 formed in the gear T3. It can be seen that when the teeth To are in `the openings T7, that rotary movement will be transmittrjal to the shaft (32') upon the driving' movement of the shaft Tl). This clutch section 'T5 is provided with a Vyoke (8, which is secured in any preferred manner to an operating rol Tl) which extends exteriorly of the hopper l). This operating` rod Tt) is provided. with a hand lever St) to :facilitate the turningl thereof. and itcan be seen that by suitable movement of the hand lever 80, the clutch section ran be moved into and out of engagement with the worm wheel T3. A suitable guide Sl can be provided for the hand lever 8f). and if desired, means can be provided for holdin;- the hand lever St) in locking' engagement with the guide Sl. The shaft 52 of the blower C can have the outer terminal thereof provided with a pulley 82, which can be operatively connected to a prime mover ot' any preferred type (not shown). rlhe inner end of the shaft :32 is provided with a pulley S53. which is in alignment. with a relatively large pulley tlelsecured in any preferred manner to the drive shaft TO. The pulleys S3 and Sl have trained about the same a drive pulley belt S5. Thus, it can be seen that when the blower C is driven. the drive shaft T() will be driven therewith.

The means G for controlling the exit of the dusting-l` powder from the hopper 1) into the means I) comprises a gate 86, which is preferably made from sheet metal suitably treated te prevent corrosion. The ,ci 1n 1 e i .1 f 'l oe formed o1 a single blank 01 material and Oate can CII consists of a toa plate 87 of a substantially triangular eonnguration having :termed on its rear edge a flange, which can be rolled to provide hub 88 tor the reception of an operating` rod S9. This hub 88 can be secured to the operating' rod 89 in any preterre'd manner. (lne end ot the plate 87 is provided with a depending ianggje 90, which terms a main part of the. ,frat-e. This iiange 90 is provided with an inclined edge 91 which conforms to the inclination ot the blades 35. llhe lower edge et the flange il() at the outer corner thereof pr vided with a notch 92, which permits the passage et the crown teeth 5l past the gate at all times. lt can be seen that when the grate S6 is in its lower position, the flange 90 will be in such a position as to lie in 'front et the opening Q0 and thus etlcctively prevent the passage o1c the powder through the said opening'. By regulating the distance et the llang'e 90 from the disc 60, the amount oll the powder passing` through the opening` 520 can also be regulated. rlhe rod 8S) extends outwardly ofthe hopper B and is provided with an operating;v lever 95 carryinp` a pawl 96 which is adapted to engage a sector rack 97 secured to the hopper B l'or that purpose. rlhis permits the gate 8G to be held in any preferred adjusted position. lt' so desired, a suitable base plate 9S can be provided for the sector rack 97 in order that the saine can be lirinly secured to the cylindrical. portion l? of the hopper.

ln order to prevent the operatorsot the machine 'from coming,r in Contact with the belt 85, a suitable guard 85 can be provided therefor. rlhis guard 85 can be secured in any preferred manner to the hopper as clearly shown in Figure l of the drawings. ln operation of the .improved machine, the dei-:ircd amount ol powder is placed within the hopper B, after which the vehicle upon which the machine is mounted is moved between adjacent rows of trees of the orchard, and the blower C is set in operative position. rlhis will cause a suction within the means D `for drawing the powder dropped therein into the delivery tube After the blower C is set in operation, the hand lever 8O may be operated so as to move the clutch section into lochine engagement with the worm wheel 73, which ot course, will set iii-operation the powder dropping means E. The gate (l can be suitably controlled by the lever 95 in order to allow the desired amount or" the powder to be fed into the means D.

lli/Then it is desired to stop the feeding or" the powder without the stoppingof the blower C it is merely necessary to actuate the hand lever to raise the Clutch section 75 from out of engagement with the worin, wheel 73, which ot course, will et tectively prevent` operation et the operatingshaft 63.

Frein the :foregoingdescription, it can be seen that a novel and simple orchard duster has been provided, in which a means has been provided for supplying` and controlling the amount ot powder delivered to the air blast, and a novel means for introducing the powder into the air blast whereby the same will not be passed directly through the blower for the said machine.

Changes in details may be made without depifrrting from the spirit or scope oit this invention; but,

I claim:

l.. ln a dustingl machine, the combination of hopper tor the powder to be sprayed, lutving` a eelivery opening, a blower includ ing a tan, and a suction tube coinniunicating at one end with the blower at a point outwardly of the periphery of said tan and at the other end `with the atmosphere eX- teriorly ot said hopper and the delivery opening' of said hopper.

2. ln a dusting machine, the combination oit' a hopper for the powder to be sprayed, having a delivery opening, a blower havingg` a regulative air inlet and including a :la and a suction tube communicating at one end with the blower at a point in advance of said fan and at the other end with the atmosphere exteriorly ot said hopper and the delivery opcningof said hopper.

ln an orchard cluster, a hopper having' its lower end contracted and provided with an outlet opening', a blower including a housin, a. rotary shaft extendingr through the housing and a tan wheel vcarried by the shaft within the housing,

a suction pipe extending` along the blower and communicating" therewith at a point in' advance ot the fan, the upper end ol. the suction pipe being` open to the atmosphere and receiving` the portion oli the lower end of the hopper provided with the outlet, means tor delivering the powder from the hopper through the outlet opening` thereof into said suction pipe, and motion transmitting means operatively connectinp,` said last mentioned means with the :tan shaft for operation therefrom and in cludinp; a clutch mechanism.

t. In an orchard duster, a hopper having an opening in its lower end., a blower including a tan wheel and a delivery pipe, and a suction pipe exteneing parallel with the blower and delivery pipe and communicating with the delivery pipe at a point in advance of and adjacent to the tan wheel, the suction pipe having,` an upnfardly extendingmouth receiving only the portion of the lower end of the hopper having said openinff, and being also open to the atmosphere laterally of said. hopper,

novel .ing having` inlet 5. In a machine for dusting, trees, shrubbery and plants, a hopper, a blower including a easing divided longitudinally to provide a pair of sections, means for eonneeting the sections togethu, one of the sections having an air inlet openingY therein, means for controlling` the eli'eetive size of said opening,` including;` a swinging plate, a suction pipe formed integral with the other section eoniniunieatingl with the blower at a point in advance of the fan portion of the blower, the upper end of the suetion pipe beine` flared, a portion ot the lower end of the hopper being; disposed within a portion of the suction pipe, the mentioned portion of the hopper having; an opening therein, means for 'feeding` powder through the opening, means for controlling the effect-ive size of the opening, and means for operatively connecting the blower and the powder feeding; means together.

6. In a dusting' machine, a blower hous and outlet openings. a

fan operating, in the blower housing' botween the inlet and outlet openings thereof, a suction tube having one end connnunieating' with the blower heusinp,` intermediate the outer periphery of the fan and outlet opening' and having its other end open to the atmosphere wherebyv air may be sucked through the suction tube into the blower housing', and means for delivering a powder into the suction tube adjacent the open air inlet end thereof.

7. In a device of the class described u blower including' a housingl provided with an outlet opening and a 'l'an operatingin said housing, said housing' having a transverse opening' therein adjacent said outlet opening and located adjacent the outer periphery of said fan, and means tor feeding` u ,e'erinieide thru said transverse opening` ot the housingl into the blower housing between the outer periphery ot the tan and the outlet opening, whereby incident to fan operation said gerinieide will be directed thru said outlet opening' without eontaeting' with said fan.

AVERY .V. VALKER, 

